CHSS Announces 2013 Wall Of Honor Recipients

The Sam Houston State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences has announced the 2013 Wall of Honor Recipients: Distinguished Alumni – Roy Hazelwood and Gen. Cecil N. Neely; Distinguished Faculty - Richard Cording and Mattie Bea Medford (posthumous).

The official ceremony for the Wall of Honor will be held on Thursday, March 7, in the CHSS building on the Sam Houston State University campus. A dinner honoring the recipients will follow.

“The 2013 CHSS Wall of Honor recipients are wonderful exemplars of the college’s distinguished alumni and faculty,” said John de Castro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“We are proud of all that they have accomplished, the honor that they have brought upon the college and university, and their outstanding contributions to the education of our students,” he said. “We are pleased to be able to recognize and honor these extraordinary individuals and present them as role models for future generations.”

“We are pleased and excited to honor those who are outstanding examples of service and dedication from Sam Houston State University’s CHSS alumni and faculty,” said Paula Lenz, chair of the CHSS Advisory Board. “These recipients of our Wall of Honor award will serve as an inspiration to all who view their plaques on display in the Humanities Building.”

Roy Hazelwood

Roy Hazelwood, a graduate of SHSU in 1960, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology. Following service in the Army Military Police Corps where he attained rank of major at his discharge in 1971, Hazelwood began criminal investigative experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He served in the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. In 1980 he received his Master of Science degree from NOVA University in Florida.

Throughout his long career, Hazelwood has received over 100 certificates and/or awards from police departments throughout the world for his help in solving crimes of violence. Additionally, Hazelwood has addressed more than 100,000 professionals representing the disciplines of law enforcement, mental health, corrections and medicine in the world.

Cecil Neely

Gen. Cecil N. Neely joined the U.S. Army after initially completing 90 hours at SHSU and rose to brigadier general during the 29 years he served. While he was enlisted, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska and earned the Master of Arts degree in history from SHSU in 1971.

After a long, distinguished military career and many honors, including serving as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and as Nation’s Duty Officer for the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense, Neely began a second career in public service. In 1995 he became county judge for Madison County, Texas. During his term he improved hospital service, resolved a longstanding redistricting problem, and helped reduce property taxes by 43 percent in two years. Additionally, Neely has been a member of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments since 1994, serving as chairman for two years.

Richard Cording

Richard Cording received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Missouri. He came to SHSU in 1970, and immediately developed and initiated the program in philosophy and became acting dean of the College of Humanities. From 1981 to 1994 Cording was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences presiding over a period of dynamic growth and development. During this time he founded and was the first president of the Texas Deans of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Cording then returned to his great love as professor of philosophy, is currently a professor emeritus of philosophy, and serves students as an adviser in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center.

As a professor, Cording continues to exhibit top-notch teaching skills – maintaining strong student-evaluation scores some 35 years after winning the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award. His 43-year record of teaching is a testament to his dedication to students.

Mattie Bea Medford

Mattie Bea Medford graduated from Texas Woman’s University in 1957 with an undergraduate degree and teaching certificate in home economics. At SHSU in 1963 she attained her M.Ed. in home economics, and in 1970 she completed her doctorate from Texas Woman’s University. Medford was a faculty member in SHSU’s home economics department and became chair of the department in 1975, serving in that position until 1987. One of her early achievements during that time was to successfully apply for an SHSU chapter of Kappa Omicron Phi so that students with an outstanding academic record could receive well-deserved recognition (eventually becoming the Kappa Alpha Phi chapter of the Kappa Omicron Nu honor society).

She was also known for the many endowed scholarships she either established or helped to establish at SHSU for those students in programs in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Medford retired in 1989 but continued to be active in the community.